Centre rushes 250 RAF personnel to Arunachal after protests over hydropower project

The Centre sent two companies of the Rapid Action Force to Pasighat after protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project became violent. The project is planned across three Arunachal Pradesh districts and has faced strong resistance from indigenous tribes. The deployment aimed to strengthen security and prevent further escalation.

Violence broke out after a 12-hour bandh ended on Friday. A mob reportedly torched an NHPC office and a police station, and vandalised residences linked to political leaders. Police said more than 40 personnel were injured by stone-pelting during clashes that continued in waves for nearly nine hours.

The two RAF companies included around 250 personnel. They were airlifted from Navi Mumbai by an Indian Air Force transport aircraft and expected to reach Pasighat by Sunday. Authorities also restricted public gatherings and processions in Pasighat, Mebo and Ruksin amid fears of more vandalism, arson and disorder.

The Rapid Action Force, or RAF, is a specialised anti-riot unit of the Central Reserve Police Force. Its purpose is to respond to serious public disorder, especially when protests become violent. The article notes that RAF personnel wear blue uniforms, making the unit distinct from many other security forces.

During violent protests, RAF personnel help control crowds and support local police and other central forces. Their role includes preventing clashes from escalating, securing vulnerable sites and restoring public order. In Pasighat, several forces were already deployed, and officials said CRPF personnel had effectively handled the protests since Friday.

The Centre sent two RAF companies after fires, vandalism and injuries during protests against the proposed dam. Around 250 personnel were airlifted from Navi Mumbai. Their arrival added specialised anti-riot capacity while restrictions were imposed on gatherings and processions in three areas.

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is planned as an 11,200-megawatt development across three districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Its scale matters because a megawatt measures power-generating capacity. In this context, 11,200 megawatts is the project’s planned maximum rate of electricity production when its generating equipment operates at full capacity.

A project of this size would involve major infrastructure on the Siang river system. The article connects the plan to both India’s energy goals and its strategic concerns about a mega dam upstream in China. It also explains why the project has caused opposition: indigenous tribes fear the reservoir could submerge villages.

The capacity figure is planned, not a report of electricity already being produced. Construction and operation face resistance from affected communities, and protests turned violent in Pasighat. The project’s future therefore depends on how authorities address security concerns and tribal opposition.

The resistance comes from indigenous tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, especially communities connected to the Siang river and the surrounding land. Their concerns are not limited to the project’s power capacity. They fear that creating the proposed reservoir could transform the places where villages stand and where community life has developed over generations.

The article identifies two central risks. The reservoir could submerge villages, forcing people to lose homes and established settlements. It could also sever deep-rooted ties with the river. Those ties are described as significant to the tribes’ way of life, making the river more than a channel for water.

These concerns have fuelled protests across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts. A bandh was followed by violence in Pasighat, including fires and vandalism. The project is therefore facing both a security challenge and unresolved opposition from communities worried about displacement and cultural loss.

The violence produced immediate injuries, property damage and tighter controls on public activity. Police said more than 40 personnel were injured by stone-pelting during clashes that continued in waves for nearly nine hours. One protester was hit in the leg by a tear gas shell and admitted to hospital.

The damage extended to public and political property. A mob torched an NHPC office and a police station in East Siang district. Police also said residences of two MLAs and the state BJP president were vandalised and looted. The incidents followed protests against the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang project.

Afterward, the East Siang district administration restricted public gatherings and processions in Pasighat, Mebo and Ruksin. Officials cited fears of vandalism, arson and further breaches of law and order. The Centre also sent two RAF companies, while Chief Minister Pema Khandu appealed for peace and lawful protest.

India is presenting the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project as a strategic counter to China’s mega dam upstream. The concern is tied to the same river system, which crosses from Tibet into India. A large project on the Indian side is therefore being linked to developments beyond the border, as well as to India’s own power and strategic planning.

The river is called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet. It enters Arunachal Pradesh near Gelling, where it is known as the Siang, and flows for 294 kilometres. At Sadiya in Assam, it meets the Dibang and Lohit rivers to form the Brahmaputra.

The strategic framing has not ended local resistance. Indigenous tribes fear the proposed reservoir could submerge villages and sever their river ties. Protests became violent in Pasighat, leading to force deployment and restrictions. The project therefore sits at the intersection of border strategy, electricity generation and community concerns.

Hydropower dams convert water’s movement into electricity. Water held behind or moving through a dam is directed through passages toward turbines. The force of the water spins the turbines, and generators connected to them produce electrical power. This explanation uses established general knowledge because the article names the project but does not describe its engineering.

Large projects often include reservoirs because a reservoir stores water at a higher level and allows operators to control when it flows through turbines. Storage can help manage changing river flow and support electricity generation beyond the exact moment of rainfall or snowmelt. The dam’s planned capacity describes its potential generating rate.

For the Siang project, the proposed reservoir is also the main source of local concern identified in the article. Indigenous tribes fear it could submerge villages and disrupt river-based ties. The project’s technical purpose therefore carries major social and environmental consequences for affected communities.